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If I don't hook up the pulsar II multi-wire cable, does it hurt the computer or card? And if the thing is unplugged while the system is live, will it hurt the card?

Liquid Len wrote:If I don't hook up the pulsar II multi-wire cable, does it hurt the computer or card? And if the thing is unplugged while the system is live, will it hurt the card?

In theory, there shouldn't be any problem not having the cable whip attached, otherwise there would be a problem not having the cable whip fully connected to external gear. It's just some analogue & digital audio signals & their grounds. As for the second question, I know for a fact that there's never a problem plugging or unplugging analogue, adat or spdif while the system is live, so in theory there shouldn't be a problem unplugging the cable whip while the system is powered up either. I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm missing something though.

Word.

It's just a D-sub innit, there's 15-odd pins there that directly connect to two pairs of XLRs (or RCAs, depending on the cable whip), a SPDIF in and out, some MIDI ins and outs, and whatever else you expect to connect to it. No harm done, I have (slightly foolishly) plugged the cable whip in *While* it was attached to some monitors, *While* those (active) monitors were plugged in, and *While* my computer was chucking some music out, and it did no harm...

Plug/un-plug away dude!

...just don't plug/unplug while the computer is on!

trust me.

There shouldn't be any issue at all if nothing is connected to the cable whip while it's plugged/unplugged though Gary.

then go ahead and do it lots!

I don't plan to do it lots, but if there's nothing connected to the cable whip, then plugging it in is just extending the D-sub connections with no noticeable voltage or impedance issues. I guess if you were somehow grounding the whip (or rather, one of it's connectors) to earth with your body there could be a grounding issue, but other than that what would technically be wrong with plugging in the whip while the system is on?

that's just what i would think and yet...
well, the system DOES know if the whip is connected or not. if you start disconnected and put the whip on later, it usually won't be recognized without a full restart. i don't know how that works, but i assume there's some extra capacitance in the cable. also, as you said, there's a real good chance of shorting pins to each other and ground(a possible reason for the whip to not work when it's plugged in with the computer running), which normally isn't a problem, but there's a chance of blowing the op amps that handle the i/o. basically, it's just a bad idea, a thing not to be done, if you can help it. i've touched a lot of cards and done some bad things in my past, pardner.

I can't visualize how it's possible to short pins to one another while plugging or unplugging the cable whip Gary. How would that work/happen?

is it just me or we need new hardware to play with

you know, i don't have any effin clue why it would matter, just like i told you. you don't have to listen to me, do WHATEVER YOU LIKE. i only put anything forward as a help for those who find it helpful. personally, i won't hotswap the whip anymore. not since i had trouble. i don't need to understand the nature of fire, if i've been burned.

look shroomz, if that's not good enough for you, sorry for you. go do your own research and come to your own conclusions. if you want to think i've got my head in my rear, that's fine.

as i said, go do it to your own cards and see if they like it. maybe they won't care at all! write Ralf and let him tell you that you're right! when i have the same result more than once, i stop assuming that it's a mistake, so i'll keep NOT doing that to MY cards, ok?

how can pins get shorted? from a pin getting bent accidentally, would be the easiest way.

Gary, all I originally said was that 'in theory' it shouldn't be a problem. Since you stated that in your experience it CAN be a problem, I've only asked why & tried to reason it. I'm not trying to rubbish your experiences or imply anything else about you, despite what you seem to think.

so we're cool. i just really don't know for sure why, and like i said, it's just info for anyone that it might help. i wish that i could be better informed, but i'm too lazy to find out any more about it. also, like i said, i agree with you that there one wouldn't think it would make any difference. i'm still of that opinion, rationally. also rationally, is the experience that says "don't do it even if i don't know why 100%, because it's better to err on the side of caution". and still, as i said, twice burned...


i wish i could be more specific. i don't like to give out bad or incomplete info, so that's why i give the big disclaimer.

oh to hell with it, i'm over myself...

careful doing that if you have a lot of gear and some is old, especially with the analog outs. there can be a voltage difference from power supply leakage and stuff, and the little "zap" from plugging it in could be recognized (just about anywhere in your computer)
as a pulse, 1 or 0 when there is not supposed to be one.

it probably wouldnt hurt anything but any manner of strange thing could happen.